(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for joining a protective tape. Herein, a protective tape is joined onto a semiconductor wafer mounted on and held by a chuck table. Thereafter, a cutter blade is allowed to travel along an outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer in a state where the cutter blade sticks out of the joined protective tape, so that the joined protective tape is cut in conformity with an outer shape of the semiconductor wafer.
(2) Description of the Related Art
A method for cutting a protective tape joined onto a surface of a semiconductor wafer is as follows. A protective tape is supplied onto a surface of a semiconductor wafer mounted on and held by a chuck table, and then, is joined onto the surface of the semiconductor wafer by rolling a joining roller on a non-adhesive face of the protective tape. Thereafter, a cutter blade is allowed to relatively travel along an outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer by rotating the chuck table in a state where the cutter blade sticks out of the protective tape, so that the protective tape is cut along the outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer. Furthermore, a projecting quantity of the protective tape at a peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer is arbitrarily adjusted according to a thickness of the semiconductor wafer or a chamfering form of the peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer by varying and adjusting a crossing angle of the cutter blade with respect to the surface of the semiconductor wafer (see, for example, JP-A 2004-25438).
Such a method for cutting the protective tape employs a structure for varying and adjusting a tilt angle of a cutter unit on a fulcrum set at an upper position above the table, in order to vary and adjust the crossing angle of the cutter blade with respect to the surface of the semiconductor wafer. Therefore, the vertical position of the entire cutter blade is varied when the angle of the cutter blade is varied, so that the cut position of the protective tape is varied. As a result, it is necessary to adjust the angle and height of the cutter blade with a cumbersome trouble.